Rat infestation, poor drainage and peeling floorboards: Some NFL teams have major facility issues

On balance, the Broncos didn’t fare THAT badly in the NFLPA’s survey of its players regarding facilities, training staff, strength staff and nutrition. Denver settled in the lower part of the NFL’s middle tier.

But it could have been worse.

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YUCK!

Fortunately for the Broncos, they don’t have these issues.

• In Jacksonville, players reported that there was “rat infestation in the locker room and laundry hampers.” This certainly changes the notion of having a “rat in the locker room.”
• At the Washington Commanders’ facility in Ashburn, Va., the locker-room received an F-minus grade. Noted the NFLPA, “Some players complained that there is a lack of warm water and poor drainage in the showers.” So, these issues aren’t just an Oakland A’s thing!
• In Cincinnati, the Bengals’ locker room is in 23-year-old Paycor Stadium. It’s showing signs of age, as Bengals players surveyed report that “many showers and toilets do not work.”
• Arizona’s players consider simply walking through the weight room “a health and safety risk.” In that room, players complained of uneven floors and peeling floorboards.

Kansas City has a training-staff problem. Specifically with its head athletic trainer, Rick Burkholder. Players said that they “feel discouraged from reporting their injuries,” “do not feel they get the level of personal care that they should” and “fear retribution for speaking up for better care.” Yikes!

And no player will be surprised to learn that the Chiefs are displeased with their locker-room facilities. “Old and in desperate need of a renovation,” report players. After all, the visiting locker room at Arrowhead Stadium looks like a time capsule of pro-sports life during the Carter administration.

As for the Broncos, it was all about size. A small locker room and a shortage of bathroom stalls and showers were cited.

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GO CHEAP AND GO HOME

Three teams do not offer dinner to their players at team headquarters: New Orleans, Cincinnati and Arizona. The Saints scored highly in other areas, but got an F-minus in nutrition, largely based on the lack of dinner offerings.

Cincinnati got an F-minus because it failed in three areas:

• Not providing dinner for players
• Not providing vitamins for players
• Not providing supplements to players

Arizona provides a boxed-up dinner to go, but with a catch: the team charges its players for dinner via a payroll deduction. Meals eaten around workouts after the season also result in a deduction. No other team in the NFL does that.

Denver has no such issues with its team cafeteria. However, the Broncos received a “D” grade — tied for 22nd — because some players noted that they “don’t feel like there is an individualized nutrition plan or support.”

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TRAVEL: FIRST-WORLD PROBLEMS

Most of the teams that scored low on travel did so because young players had roommates on road trips. This used to be standard operating procedure on the road for not just young players — but all players. The San Francisco 49ers began changing this in the 1980s. When Mike Shanahan returned to Denver in 1995 from a three-year hitch on the 49ers’ staff as offensive coordinator, he ensured that players would have their own room on the road once they made the 53-player roster.

Nowadays, all teams do that for veteran players, although a few teams still make rookies and young players room together. Those teams generally received the lowest scores.

Denver received a B-plus, putting the team in the top dozen.

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